The Washington Redskins are under more pressure than ever to change their name. Having been a point of contention for a long time with groups who consider that the term “red skin” is a racial insult to the Amerindian population, the subject has reached its boiling point following the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis . Police Department – The officers involved have since been dismissed and charged with second degree murder and aiding and abetting second degree murder. Subsequent protests fueled changes that included the city remove the statue of George Preston Marshall, founder of the organization and fierce opponent of desegregation, outside the RFK stadium; in a gesture greeted by Marshall’s own granddaughter, Jordan Wright.
“I was glad to see him go down,” said Wright, via the Washington Post. “It’s time to see it disappear.”
Current team owner Dan Snyder has gone a step further by agreeing to remove Marshall’s name from all official team documents and his Ring of Honor, but Snyder has so far held his position not to change the team name. He may no longer have a choice, however, that is, if he wants to move the team to the field where the RFK Stadium is currently located.
This large parcel of land belongs to the federal government, 190 acres in all, and several elected officials have now issued an ultimatum that forces Snyder to change the name of the team or find a new landing point for resettlement. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), the District of Columbia’s non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives, is one of the votes leading the charge.
“I call on Dan Snyder again to face this reality, because he still desperately wants to be in the nation’s capital,” said Norton, via Washington Post. “He has a problem he can’t get around, and he can’t get around it today, after the murder of George Floyd.”
Norton is not the only official to draw a hard line in front of Snyder.
“There is no viable path, locally or federally, for the Washington football team to return to Washington, DC, without first changing the team name,” said DC deputy mayor. , John Falcicchio.
Snyder’s team is currently based in Ashburn, Virginia, and has a training camp in Richmond, while FedEx Field is in Landover, Maryland – east of Washington, DC With the RFK campus for sale, Snyder plans to move there, in part due to the rapid aging of FedEx Field (team home since 1997), and in part because he joins the sentiment of those who wish to see the team return to Washington; as opposed to operating just outside of it.
“[Washington] is a special place, and she’s right to say it’s the only sports team that isn’t in town, “said Snyder.” It’s special for me. I have great memories there. “
It is a plan that all seems to be on board, but not without a mandatory name change, which the federal government may require for the land it currently owns. If Snyder wants to be allowed to buy it, he will have to reconsider his position dug on the name “Redskins”.
“I think the time has come for the team to face what offends so many people,” said Mayor Muriel E. Bowser. “And it’s a great franchise with a great story that is beloved in Washington. And it deserves a name that reflects the affection we have built for the team.”
A much more scathing version of the message came from the American representative Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.).
“Time [for the name] has ended, “said Grijalva.” There is no way to justify it. Either you are entering this century or you are not. It’s up to the team owner to do it. “
